Persona 3: A King's Tale
by Facepunchay
Summary: Noctal Ronovas, a foreign transfer student in Gekkoukan High moves into Tatsumi Port Island and takes residence in a dorm... But then odd events occur, and he gets involved with a special group as they attempt to figure out the mysteries of "The Dark Hour" and battle the entities known as Shadows... If it ain't clear, I'm switching the protag out for somebody else.
1. Chapter 1: Enter, the King

2009 April 6th, a late night… The New City passenger train "Anehazuru" moved along the railway tracks through the darkness, slowing down gradually as it reached its destination. A man alone in the train car snored quietly as he napped. He had swept-back silver hair, wore silver-trimmed glasses and was wearing a black coat with streaks of purple, awhite shirt underneath with a large cross emblazoned on the front, black pants and boots with purple soles.

"We have arrived at: Iwatodai, the final stop for Tatsumi Port Island."

Blared through the speakers. "Hmhuhwha?" The man shook awake after hearing the announcement _"Oh, seems I've arrived"_ He stood up, rubbing his eyes to stave off the drowsiness. He stepped off the train and into the station, noticing that it was almost midnight. _"Oh dear, it's already this late…"_

The man shook his head and walked out of the station, feeling slightly uneasy due to the lack of anybody else at the time. Just out of the corner of his eyes, he thought that he saw a blue butterfly flutter away, but dismissed it as part of his imagination.

Out on the streets, the very moment he set foot on the pavement he knew something strange was afoot. The atmosphere around him was different; it felt odd or ominous, in a way. He knew that this wasn't normal, but he also thought it was due to his lack of sleep. In either case, he decided it was best to get to the dorm as soon as possible.

On the way there things seemed to get more and more stranger as he saw standing, stationary coffins lining the lifeless area. Or at least, objects that seemed like coffins. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the moon was eerily gigantic… a bit too much for his comfort. He didn't want to stare at it any longer so he went on his way to the dorm.

…

He arrived at the dorm after a lengthy stroll. He observed the structure _"… Gekkoukan High Dorm, seems this is the place."_ He entered the building.

Immediately after pushing the doors open and setting foot inside the dark room, he heard a voice directed at him. "Welcome." It sounded like a young boy.

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time you know." In front of him the man could just barely make out the figure of the speaker, it was indeed a young boy.

The mysterious boy held out a piece of paper and a blue pen "Please sign the contract, if you want to go on." The boy giggled "No need to be afraid, it's only to bind you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."

The man picked up the pen and paper handed to him. He examined the contract, noticing the words written on it.

_**I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.**_

Below it he could see a space to sign his name** "Noctal Ronovas" **He signed the paper.

"…Very well."The boy took the contract and paper. "Time is something no one can hope to escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing against it won't make it go away." He had an unsettling smirk on his face "And so it begins…"

The boy disappeared, as if he was swallowed by the darkness. "…And so that happened." Noctal said, he was left a bit perplexed by the event. Suddenly, he heard somebody else.

"Who's there!?" The voice sounded like a girl. "How are you… But it's…" She seemed to have gone quiet "Don't tell me…" She seemed to be holding what looked like a gun, of sorts.

Another person spoke "Wait!" The room went silent for a short few seconds, after which the lights came on. Now that the room was lit, Noctal could see two girls ahead of him, on the other side of the room. One with long red hair and in what seemed to be school uniform and the other with short brown hair and wearing a pink sweater over her uniform.

"I didn't think you'd be here so late." The red haired girl spoke "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students living in this dorm."

"… Who's he?" Whispered the brown haired girl to Mitsuru.

Mitsuru turned to face her "A transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign him here. He'll eventually move into a room in the boys' dorm."

"… Is it okay for him to be here?"

"We'll have to wait and see…"

Noctal remained where he was, a bit confused about what he should do. _"Should I ask or… no it'd be rude of me to interrupt while they talk to each other. Best to let them finish."_

Mitsuru turned to Noctal and gestured to Yukari "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

"Hi, I'm Yukari." She said, though her voice was full of distrust for Noctal.

"Oh urm, yes." He did a butler-esque bow and smiled "My name is Noctal Ronovas. Pleasure to meet you."

"Uh, Y-yeah. Nice to meet you too…" Her tone didn't seem to improve.

Mitsuru spoke to Noctal "It's getting late, you should get some rest. I'm sure it was a taxing trip here." She continued "Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there."

"I'll show you the way. Follow me." Yukari went up the stairs.

Noctal nodded and did as he was told.

Up on the 2nd floor and at the end of the hall, Yukari and Noctal stood in front of the room at the far end of the hallway.

"Here we are." Yukari said as she stood infront of the door. "Easy to remember right? ...Since its right at the end of the hall."

Noctal stroked his chin while looking over the hall and door. "I suppose so…"

"So, any questions?"

"One actually, does the little boy that was downstairs just a moment ago live here as well?"

Yukari looked confused "What are you talking about? …C'mon, that wasn't a good joke."

"Err… Nevermind then." Noctal thought to himself _"Does she not know? …Was it merely my imagination then? No, it was most definitely real… Bah, no use thinking about it now. Sleep time now time."_

"Hey… can I ask you something?"

Noctal's train of thought was suddenly broken "Hm? Oh, of course."

"On your way here from the station was everything… Okay?"

Noctal paused for a few seconds before talking "… Might I ask what exactly do you mean?"

"You know what I… Actually on second thought, never mind, forget I said anything." Her tone shifted into a more cheery one "It seems like you're alright."

"I… guess?" Noctal was left a bit puzzled by what Yukari said, though he did indeed know what she meant. _"… So it was all real then… Interesting, how very interesting…"_

"Well, I should get going now." She began to walk away but stopped shortly after "Um… I'm sure you still have more questions, but let's save them for later, okay? Good night." And having said that, she walked away.

Noctal waved at her and then looked back at his room. _"So this is where I am to stay then? Let's have a look…" _He opened the door and walked in. Inside, he saw a simple room. A bed, a sink, a mini-fridge, a heater, a desk, a TV and other furniture were all neatly placed around the room.

"_My, 'tis quite nice." _He thought as he looked around. But he didn't have time to doodle around his new living quarters; it would be very wise to go to sleep now.

He turned off the lights, walked over to the bed and dropped onto it. "Ahhh… How relaxing…" He said as he sunk into the mattress ever so slightly. _"Well… this was a strange night. I do have quite a few questions needing answers but… I'll have to do as Miss Takeba said and wait for another time. Till then, off to dreamland I go." _And so Noctal fell into a deep sleep.

_The next day…_

It was morning. Noctal slowly woke from his slumber. _"… And there goes dreamland. Damn you, morning sun." _He sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes.

Somebody knocked on his door "It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

"Coming." He got off his bed and opened the door.

Yukari was standing outside, "Morning. Did you sleep okay?" she seemed more cheery than how she was last night.

"More or less."

"That's good to hear. Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school today. So get ready, I'll be downstairs." She left.

"Will do." Noctal said while she was about to leave. He closed the door when she was gone and changed to his school uniform.

L_ater on the New City passenger train…_

Yukari spoke "We have to take the monorail to get there. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?"

Noctal chuckled "Not at all. It was only a lengthy stroll away from where I was."

"That so? Oh this is my favorite part." She looked enthusiastic "The moment when it feels like you're gliding over the sea." After a short while she continued "We get off on Port Island Station at the end of the line. From there, we walk. I'm sure you're used to the last part, right?"

Noctal laughed "Indeed I am, indeed I am."

"Have you heard of the island? It's man-made and built on the ocean. Interesting isn't it?" She looked out of the window "Oh look, you can see it now!"

Noctal did the same. He gazed at the structure off in the distance "…Well, it's quite extravagant, that I'll say."

_After the train ride…_

"Well, here we are." Yukari said as she and Noctal stood before the school gates. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High! I'm sure you'll love it here."

Noctal was in awe of how large the school actually was upfront. "It… is very extravagant indeed. I can't say I've been somewhere like this before."

Yukari laughed "C'mon, let's go in." They went into the school.

Now at the shoe lockers, Yukari spoke "You're okay from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first. Go over to the Faculty Office, it's right there to the left. And that concludes our tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"None, thank you very much."

Yukari's expression turned more cautious "Hey… Don't tell anyone what you saw last night, alright?" After a short pause, Noctal nodded. "…See ya later." Yukari left and went up the stairs.

Noctal decided to go meet his homeroom teacher, as Yukari said to do so.

_At the Faculty Office…_

Noctal slowly opened the door _"… How in the everloving hell do I get lost looking for a room so out in front?" _He poked his head in and looked around "… Excuse me?"

He was greeted by a female teacher "Oh, are you the new student?" She thought for a bit "Noctal… Ronovas was it? Exotic name you have there."

Noctal sheepishly scratched the back of his neck as he stepped into the office "Yes… I suppose it is…"

"Well, it's to be expected from a foreigner I guess. You're in the 11th grade, correct?" The teacher flipped through the pages in a file she was carrying "Oh you're from… Europe, is it? Let's see… In 1999… That was what, ten years ago? Your Parents—" She looked a bit shocked "Oh… I'm sorry… I've been so busy I didn't have the chance to read it beforehand." She closed the book "I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition here. Welcome to Gekkoukan High."

"Err… Thanks."

"Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2F, that's my class." She continued "But first, we need to go to the Auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will start soon." She walked past Noctal "Follow me."

"I seem to be doing that quite a bit…" He mumbled to himself quietly.

_At the Auditorium…_

The school principal cleared his throat and began to speak before the students in front of him. "As you begin the new school year, I'd like you all to remember the proverb 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to life this means…" The principal continued on with his speech

As the principal's speech ran on Noctal couldn't help but roll his eyes _"…How very riveting." _

"Psst… Hey…" The student just behind Noctal was trying to catch his attention. "You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together. I got a question actually…" The student leaned a bit closer "Does she have a boyfriend?"

"Err… I'm afraid that I don't know."

"That so?" The student leaned back "Thought you'd know but I guess not… Sorry to bother you with that." The student continued "… So how well do you know her?"

"I hear talking." Interrupted a teacher. "Somebody from Ms. Toriumi's class maybe?"

"Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

The principal's speech continued on and lots of student's could be heard talking amongst each other.

_After homeroom, at class 2-F…_

"'Sup, dude!?" Yelled a young man from behind Noctal. "How's it goin'?"

Noctal, slightly startled, answered back "…Hello. And you are…?"

"Me?" The student stood proudly "I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya." He continued "I transferred here when I was in the 8th grade, I know how tough it is bein' the new kid and all…" He smiled "So I thought to say 'hey' … See what a nice guy I am?"

Noctal laughed "Yes. Startling me from out of nowhere is pleasant after all." He said in a joking manner.

Yukari walked nearby, looking a bit discontent

Junpei immediately spoke to her "Hey it's Yuka-tan! Didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

Yukari sighed "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to just about anybody if they'll listen. Ever thought you might be bothering somebody?"

"What? But, I was just bein' all nice and friendly."

Yukari sighed again "If you say so…" She looked at Noctal "Anyway, some coincidence that we're in the same homeroom…"

Noctal chuckled "Quite the coincidence indeed. Funny, wouldn't you say?"

"Yep."

Junpei entered the conversation "Um, hello? Are you forgetting I'm in this class too? By the way…" He leaned in, showing how curious he was "I heard that you both came to school together this morning. Somethin' up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

"Wh-what are you saying!?" Yukari was baffled "We just live in the same dorm. That's all. There's nothing going on, alright?" She became irritated "Why are people even talking about this!? Now you have me worried…"Yukari stepped closer to Noctal and whispered to him "Hey… You didn't say anything to anybody about… you know what, did you?"

Noctal cleared his throat "No, no I did not."

"Okay, good." She became more serious "Seriously, don't say anything about last night, okay?"

Junpei, who was eavesdropping, was shocked while he stepped back "L-last night…?"

Yukari jumped up, "H-hold on a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen, we just met yesterday and there's absolutely nothing going on between us!" She looked back at Noctal "Isn't that right!?"

"Oh, um, yes. Absolutely!"

"See!" Yukari sighed "Geez…" She regained her composure "Alright, well I gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But I better not hear any rumors any time soon!"

Junpei groaned "Man, who cares? Nobody takes rumors seriously anyway. She's being paranoid…" He became jolly again "But, hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkn' about you! Ain't that pleasant?"

Noctal spoke shyly "I… suppose so…"

"Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man!" Junpei seemed to be fired up "Heheh, this is gonna be a helluva year, I can feel it!"

...

_After school…_

Both Noctal and Junpei walked outside the school building "Whoa, check out the jocks on their run…" Junpei said "Say, you thinking about joining a club?"

"Perhaps… Depends on what's available. If something interests me, I'd most definitely join."

"That so? Well, you'd be a new member, so you might not be applying for a little while."

On his way back to the dorm, Noctal made small talk with Junpei.

_At the dorm…_

"Welcome back." Mitsuru, who was sitting on a sofa and reading a book, greeted Noctal when he walked in. Noctal merely did a slight wave at her. "I'm sure you're tired after your first day of school. It'd be a good idea to go to bed early."

"Was planning on doing just that." He went up to his room.

_Later, at the lounge…_

A young man wearing a red vest over his school clothes and grey hair walked down the stairs. "I'm heading out for a bit." He said to Mitsuru, who was still reading a book.

"…Hm?"

"Didn't you see today's newspaper?"

Mitsuru closed her book "… I know. People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of apathy syndrome… It's been on the news quite often lately. They say it's because of stress but… "

The student chuckled "Yeah, right. It's 'them', isn't it? Otherwise, it isn't worth my time."

"…You have a one-track mind don't you? Will you be alright on your own?"

"Don't worry, I'm just gonna get a bit of practice." He walked out of the dorm.

Mitsuru sighed "This isn't a game, Akihiko…"

…

_The next day, at school…_

Noctal's ears pricked up as he overheard two students conversing "Did you hear the rumor?" he feared for the worst.

"Oh the thing about the bathroom?"

"No! Not that, I meant the one about that first-year student. Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing about but sit and stare at walls all day. If her mother tries to talk she just says to herself 'it's coming… It's coming…!"

"Huh… how about that…"

Noctal was a bit relieved to hear that it wasn't anything about him and Yukari, but at the same time he got more curious about what it actually was _"Hmm… A girl who mumbles to herself while staring at a wall… Bah, what's gotten over me? Taking rumors seriously… pah!" _

The first bell rung at that moment.

_Afternoon , class 2-F…_

Ms. Toriumi was speaking "Open your textbooks and we'll take a gander at the first novel by… Zenzou Kasai… Ugh… why him? I'd rather teach Utsubo Kubota. He was famous as a singer, and wrote fine literature. Wonder why it's not in the textbook… Well, I'll just bring Kubota's book over next time." She glared over to a student wearing a blue shirt underneath his uniform "… Hey, Junpei! Were you listening?" Who did I say was my favorite author?"

Junpei shot up "H-huh? U-umm…" He looked at Noctal, who was just beside him. "Psst! Who does she like?"

"Utsubo Kobuta, my good man."

"That's right! So you were paying some attention after all."

"Eheheh… Well, you know how I like to pay attention! He sat down and put his hand on Noctal's shoulder "Man, you saved my bacon!"

Noctal could hear his classmates whispering "The new student gave him the answer… He must pay attention in class!"

_After school, back at the dorm in the lounge…._

Yukari was already there, talking with an unfamiliar man. "Oh, he's back."

"So, this is our new guest…" The man pushed up his glasses "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school." He smiled "Ikutsuki's hard to say isn't it? I don't like introducing myself because of that. It even gets me tongue-tied at times. I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"No questions. Pleasure to meet you."

Ikutsuki chuckled "How polite! Anyway, I hope you have a good and successful school year. You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, the early bird catches the bookworm!" …There was a moment of awkward silence "… Please forgive the pun." Though everybody else was silent, Ikutsuki chuckled quietly. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" He walked away.

Yukari spoke "You'll get used to his jokes eventually…"

"I wonder about that…" Noctal went off to sleep later on.

_At a certain room in the dormitory…_

"Working hard?" Said Ikutsuki "So how's he doing?"

"He went to bed a little while ago. He's asleep now." Said Mitsuru "Mr. Chairman, do you really think he's…"

"Let's wait and see for now… The Dark Hour is approaching."

_In a back alley of Tatsumi Port Island…_

A man listening to upbeat music on the radio sighed "… This sucks." He tossed the radio away.

"KJ Radio presents, The Bay Tuners. Tune in again next week for more of the hits!" Blurted out of the flung radio.

A different radio announcer began speaking "This program is brought to you by Kirijo Electronics. Kirijo Electronics: always there when you need them."

The time just hit midnight… The atmosphere shifted, things felt eerie. "Huh? … What the…?"

He was confused and alone, an overwhelming feeling came over him "Wh… What's happening to me… ?" A black fluid poured out of his eyes, mouth, nose, ears… "A… Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" He screamed as he fell onto the cold floor, the black fluid still pouring out of him while he was squirming and crying for somebody to help...

_Back at the room in the dormitory…_

"Hmmm… He's still sleeping." Said Ikutsuki while he observed Noctal through a monitor. "The Dark Hour happens every day at midnight; a sort of hidden hour. During this time, an ordinary person Transmogrifies into a coffin, and is unaware of anything that happens."

Yukari spoke "Then, he must be…"

"Evidently, he's retained his human form. He's sleeping, but he's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. Now the only question is… Does or, or does he not have the potential? Although, he must. If he didn't, he would be preyed on by now."

"Scary…"

Ikutsuki pushed up his glasses "In any case, we should monitor him for a few more days."

Mitsuru spoke "Understood, sir."

"I feel kinda bad though, spying on him like this…" Said Yukari, showing a slight bit of concern for the new dorm resident.

_Inside Noctal's room, while people stared at him in his sleep… _

"Master… Master Noctal Ronovas… "

Noctal heard a voice say his name… opening his eyes, he saw that he was in an elevator, of sorts. An elevator with a blue floor. Looking around, he saw there was nothing else of note other than right in front of him was a mysterious old gentleman sitting behind a table with a blue clothed woman holding a book standing beside him. "Where… am I?" Asked a baffled Noctal.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." The old gentleman spoke "My name is Igor. …I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He moved his hand to the woman beside him "This is Elizabeth. She is a resident here, like myself."

Elizabeth did a slight bow "Pleased to meet you."

Noctal stood silent for a moment, pondering to himself _"Is… this a dream? It must be… but it seems all too real at the same time… "_ He spoke "Pleasure to meet you both as well. Now, if I may ask… What, exactly, is this place?"

"This is a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… Only those who have signed the contract can enter this room." The paper that Noctal signed was lying before Igor on the table. "Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return." Igor continued "I only ask one thing in return… that you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"I… understand." Said Noctal, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

"Hold on to this…" A Velvet key appeared in front of Noctal. " 'Til we meet again…"

Before Noctal could even open his mouth, he was already sent out of the Velvet Room, since he woke up in the middle of the night right after. "That… was odd…" He said while sitting up on his bed. "Velvet rooms, unnaturally long noses, the contract… No it was not a dream, it couldn't have…" Perplexed, he continued asking himself questions for a few minutes, then realized how silly it was and went back to sleep.

_The next day, the 9__th__ of April, at school…_

Walking into the school, Noctal was immediately greeted by a familiar voice, Junpei "Yo. Man, I'm so sleepy today... In perilous times like these, it's best to sleep during class!" He looked livelier "You ever notice how sometimes taking a nap in class makes you feel more refreshed than sleeping at home?"

Noctal laughed "I know what you mean, it's a mild habit of mine."

Junpei laughed as well "Heh. You go from dead to being filled to the brim with energy again; it's such a great feeling… Then again, you don't get to hear the lecture, so you're screwed!"

"I suppose so… but, you wouldn't be able to catch the complete lecture regardless if you're left half-asleep, so might as well use a short few minutes to regain yourself and then be attentive the rest of the day."

"Right, ya got a point there…"

They both went to class while conversing.

_At class…_

The teacher started talking after walking in "Ahem… I'm Mr. Ekoda. I'll be teaching you Classic Literature. You'll all be learning about good old Japan all year. Some people say Classic Lit isn't relevant to everyday life, but oh, how they're wrong!" He began talking a slight bit more enthusiastically "The students, the other teachers… Wrong, wrong, wrong! Nobody really understands Classic Literature!"

Noctal silently groaned _"Oh… deary me." _He wasn't exactly feeling lively since the odd dream last night left him awake for a a short rest for a half-hour longer would be much appreciated. _"…Oh might as well. It's not as if the very first literature class would matter much anyway."_ And so he shut his eyes. He quickly dozed off for the duration of the class.

…

_After school, Noctal went to Paulownia Mall with Junpei…_

Junpei started a conversation "Whenever I hang out with guys from school we usually end up here." He started pointing at the various mall attractions "There's a karaoke box, an arcade and oh, this is where you come to rent out CDs too. Then there's that club over there… But of course, I've never been inside."

"Fascinating…" Noctal said passively to Junpei while he looked around. He noticed that the mall itself was bustling with activity at the time, likely due to school being over for the day.

_Later at evening, at the dormitory…_

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted Noctal, again. She was standing by the window on the left. "The moon looks beautiful tonight."

"Indeed, a full moon is always quite the sight."

"It's nice to read a book by moonlight once in a while, isn't it?"

"… To be perfectly honest, the thought never came across me before. I should give it a try."

On the right side, Noctal saw Yukari sitting on the sofa. He decided to strike up a conversation with her. "Hello."

Yukari noticed Noctal approaching her as she was watching the TV "Oh hey there. Did you know there used to be a dorm mother here to do stuff like cooking? But now, there's just us students. It'd be great to have somebody like that doing stuff for us, don't you think?"

"Hmm… I can't say the same for myself."

"You're one of those people who don't really care about stuff like that huh? Well, that's fine too."

Yukari went back to watching TV. Noctal was feeling tired, so he decided to go back to his room and sleep for the night.

…

_At a certain room in the dorm…_

Ikutsuki walked into the room "…How is he?"

Mitsuru was looking at the monitor of Noctal's room "The same as last night."

"Interesting… Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first... Memory loss… disorientation… But, this subject is a bit more unique. He hasn't shown any of the common symptoms."

Yukari entered the conversation "But we're treating him like a guinea pig."

"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members. I heard that he's your classmate… Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with somebody from the same grade?"

"Yeah I guess. But still…"

Suddenly, an emergency call from outside rang throughout the room. Mitsuru answered "Command room… Akihiko, is that you?"

"You're not gonna believe this! The thing's huge!" It was Akihiko, and he didn't sound too well. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk…. It's chasing me, so I thought I'd let you guys know. I'm almost there."

Yukari was panicking a bit "Does that mean… he's bringing that thing here!?"

Mitsuru stood up and faced Ikutsuki "Mr. Chairman! We should suspent the observation for now and prepare for battle!"

"R-right! Be careful!"

_The ground floor of the dorm…_

Akihiko burst in, grunting and panting in pain as he shut the doors behind him.

Mitsuru came down "Akihiko!"

"I'm alright." He recovered himself. "Get ready to be surprised… it'll be here any moment now…"

"This is no time to joke around!"

Ikutsuki came down as well "It's one of them, Akihiko?"

"Yeah, but it's not an ordinary one—"

A loud crash was heard as a dust clouded the area.

"What the… This has to be a joke!"

"Mr. Chairman, please head back to the command room!" Mitsuru turned to Yukari "Takeba, go upstairs and wake him up. Then, escape out the back."

"But, wait, what about you two?"

"We'll hold it off here." She looked at Akihiko "You led it to us, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

"As if I wouldn't!" He looked at Yukari, who was still standing where she was "What are you waiting for? Go!"

"I-I'm going!" She dashed upstairs.

_At Noctal's room…_

Noctal immediately woke up after hearing a loud crashing noise "What in the…!?" Cautious, he decided to take a look.

Just as he was about to open the door, somebody banged on the door "Wake up!" It sounded like Yukari "Sorry, but I'm coming in."

And so she barged in. "No time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!"

"I-"

"Now!" She grabbed Noctal's hand and ran out. "We're going downstairs to take the rear entrance out." In the middle of the hallway, they suddenly came to a halt "Wait!" Yukari reached into her pocket and pulled something out. "…Take this, just in case you need to use it." It looked like a black handle.

Noctal took the object and pressed a button on the side, making a sharp blade pop out. It was a knife. "…Understood." He held the knife in his hand. _"…What in the hell is so dire that I'd have to resort to defend myself…?"_

"Alright, let's go." They headed downstairs.

Now at the back entrance "Alright, we should be safe for n—" A somewhat static voice could be heard

"Takeba, do you read me!?" It was Mitsuru.

"Y-yes, I hear you!"

"Be careful! There're multiple enemies!" She sounded frantic, strangely enough "The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

"What!?" Yukari was surprised by the news.

The building rumbled at that moment, causing Yukari to panic "W-we should pull back!" The two went back upstairs.

On the 2nd floor, the building quaked once again. "What was that!?" It happened twice more, this time it seemed closer to where they were "It's nearby!" A fourth, startling rumble occurred.

Noctal spoke "It would be best for us to keep moving. Quickly."

"R-right! We should hurry!" They continued going upstairs

_At the rooftops…_

Yukari shut the door behind them and let out a sigh. "The door's locked. I think we're safe… for now."

"I should hope so. At least a short summary of this event would… be…." Something was heard coming from behind them. Something large…

The two turned around to see countless hands grip the edge of the roof, a mask bing held by one of them and scanning the area. After that, the rest of its body crawled up… revealing a myriad of arms attached together, and wielding swords.

Yukari, was shocked "You've gotta be kidding me! It climbed up the wall!?"

_At the Command Room…_

Akihiko pointed out the location of the beast "There, on the roof!"

"That gigantic Shadow… Just what exactly are we dealing with!?"

"…We should go there, Mitsuru!"

"Wait!" Ikutsuki halted the both of them.

_Back to the roof…_

Yukari stepped back bit by bit "That's the thing that attacked this place… They're called Shadows." She pulled out the gun she had in her holster "I... have to fight now…" She shakily held the gun up to her forehead "I… I can summon mine… No problem!... Right…?" She took several deep breaths… her finger, trembling as it was about to pull the trigger…

Noctal was just about to dash at Yukari "What are you…!?" The Shadow, however, would not stay still and attacked Yukari with inhumane speed, sending her flying into the door behind her and denting it from the sheer force.

"Takeba!" The gun she was holding slid across the floor and hit Noctal's feet "A… handgun…" He dropped the knife he was holding unintentionally… Something inside Noctal was urging him to pick up the pistol. "I… Why…." He held it in his hands and stared at it.

…

"Go ahead… do it."

…

Noctal held it up to the side of his head. He was shivering; his finger rested on the trigger and his heart began pounding faster and faster…

"Per…" His finger pushed the trigger ever so slightly, but then pulled back "…So…" Once more he tried; the Shadow was rushing over to him…

Noctal steeled himself and grinned "…NA!" He pulled the trigger, the 'gunshot' shattering the limits of his mind. A blue aura surrounded Noctal; he stood firm and upstanding with a wide grin as something began to take form above him. _"So this… is power."_

It was a black and purple humanoid being with long, flowing silver hair. Countless chains wrapped around its face, leaving only a single, glowing violet eye visible, and patches of the silver hair were jutting out from between the chains. Its right arm looked like a serrated blade that had some chains attached to it dangling along the blade while the left looked humanoid. It seemed to be wearing a robe-like clothing of sorts with purple fur trimming the neck and sleeves.

"Thou art I, and I am thou, from the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Pride, the deadliest sin." It said in a deep, resounding yet menacing voice.

But things didn't go smoothly for long, the Shadow may have been pushed back due to the Persona's appearance but suddenly a sharp pain shot through Noctal's head. The excruciating pain made Noctal lose balance and drop to one knee, just barely managing to support himself. He clutched the side of his head, he was about to burst out in screams yet… he somehow enjoyed the pain, to some extent.

His Persona was in a similar situation, as it looked like it was screaming. But, that was not the case, something was bursting out of it. Something… deadly.

A hand pierced through Pride's face, a second one following shortly. After that, whatever was inside Pride, it had ripped him in half from inside. What appeared was… A fearsome humanoid entity that donned a white beast-like metal head, a black pea coat, coffins floating in mid-air around it and it wielded a single-edged sword.

It roared fiercely as it appeared and unsheathed its sword. It immediately took notice of the multi-armed Shadow and charged at it with blinding speed. The Shadow attempted to run away but it was futile, as the Persona held it down and mercilessly hacked away. As it did so, the Persona almost seemed to be… laughing, or perhaps it was growling. After slicing the Shadow till almost nothing was left of it, a single hand remained in the Persona's grip. It twitched about furiously, trying to get away, but the Persona merely crushed it in its grip.

_Meanwhile, at the Command Room…_

All the three people in the room stood in shock after what transpired "…What the hell was that…!?" said Akihiko.

"I… I don't know… Mr. Chairman?"

Ikutsuki didn't respond, he was deep in thought.

_Back at the roof…._

The mysterious Persona faced Noctal and it reverted into its original form, Pride. It then faded away. Noctal was just about starting to get back on his feet.

"Is… Is it over…?" Said Yukari as she was recovering as well. Soon she saw that it was not, in fact, over when remnants of the eviscerated Shadow began to move on their own. They were closing in on Yukari "No… Get away from me!" She began looking around for the pistol she had.

Noctal was just about back to how he was before the transformation, and he saw that Yukari was in trouble. He wouldn't just stand in the sidelines, so he picked his knife back-up while putting the pistol in his left hand and rushed on over to her, punting one of the moving Shadows into another. The sudden action however, again made Noctal fall back on his knees

"_Oh deary me what the bloody hell have I gotten myself into…?" _He thought while trying to get back up. An unseen Shadow rushed the feeble Noctal and struck him, knocking him down onto the floor. It then attempted to overwhelm Noctal by climbing on top of him, but it was reversed as Noctal attacked it with the knife he held. The Shadow then disappeared in a black smoke-like matter.

Now having regained his balance once more, Noctal took the opportunity to scan his surroundings. Yukari was there by the door, defenseless and vulnerable, the two Shadows that Noctal attacked earlier were a distance away and there was one more shadow to deal with, and it was charging at Noctal. Instinctively, Noctal dodged the Shadow and chucked his knife at the two that were further away, it was bound to at least get one of them.

Now that he had to contend with the one closest, Noctal dashed over and planted his foot on the Shadow, then kicked it away into a wall to make sure it was taken care of. Looking back at the farther ones, Noctal apparently did not hit a single thing with the knife throw as it missed.

He remembered the handgun he had, so he tried to aim it at the Shadows… only to realize that it does not fire bullets, and that he wouldn't have hit anyway considering that he never used a gun before.

So Noctal resorted to a different tactic. He grinned and aimed the gun at the side of his head once more, hoping that another transformation wouldn't happen. "Take form…" He pulled the trigger, shattering the boundaries of his mind again "Pride!"

The Persona appeared a second time, now not seeming to go on a rampage. It dashed at the two shadows and made short work of them with a single wide sweep of its blade arm, vanishing right after.

But also after that, Noctal began to feel exhausted, very exhausted. He fell on his knees as he grew short of breath. He then dropped on the floor, his conscious began to fade away… But he faintly heard somebody talk to him

"Hey, are you okay!?"

…Noctal passed out.


	2. Chapter 2: The Basics of Power

Noctal found himself back at the Velvet Room while he was unconscious. Igor was, expectedly, in the exact place he was in before, sitting on a chair behind a table with Elizabeth standing beside him. "It's so nice to see you again?" Said Igor.

Noctal took a minute to regain himself, and to recognize the area he was in. "…Back in my dreams, are we?"

"You became unconscious after awakening to your "power". It's nothing to worry about though, so no need to stress over it…. And I see that it was Pride, of the Devil Arcana, who answered your call... Impressive." Igor continued "The power you used is called, Persona… It is a manifestation of your psyche.

Noctal was expectedly puzzled and had questions ""Per… sona?" As he said those words, he recalled uttering them before he passed out.

"A persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. Call it… a mask, which protects you as you face hardships. Your Personae grow as you grow, and you will eventually come to harbor more than one Persona, being able to unlesh more ."

Noctal's interest was verily piqued "I… I see. So in a way, this is strength, or power? Fascinating… how very fascinating…" He said with a slight chuckle.

"Now then… Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you any longer…. Until the next time we meet, farewell…" And with that, Noctal was sent away from the Velvet Room before he knew it.

_Later, on the 19__th__ of April…._

Noctal was beginning to wake up as his head got clearer_. _Opening his eyes he saw a white ceiling above him, bright light pouring in and a blanket covering him. _"How… long have I slept?" _He wondered, but a headache soon struck and he started to lose his breath a bit. "_Wait no, m-my…" _ He noticed somebody was right beside him.

"You're awake!" A familiar face spoke, Yukari. "Thank goodness you finally came to… Yeesh, how long you need to sleep? It's been a week." She said, apparently relieved "So, how do you feel?"

"Am I… In a hospital?" Said Noctal weakly, he was obviously not at full strength. "W-wait… a week…?"

"…Oh yeah, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you, he said you were just exhausted." She paused for a bit as she hung her head low "Um…. Look, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything back then… I guess I'm still weak…"

Noctal struggled to sit up "Pah, don't say that, it wasn't your fault. Besides, I myself was terrified and only let my instincts take over… In fact, if you weren't there I would likely be in a much more severe condition." He reassured her, but a question also popped into Noctal's head "Speaking of which… What exactly happened back then?"

"You mean the Shadows? They're what we're fighting. And the power you used… We call it "Persona". I'm sorry, but you'll have to hold your questions for a bit later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything before…" She lowered her head slightly "I, uh… I wanted to tell you that… I'm sorta like you."

"… What do you mean, exactly?"

Yukari looked gloomy "My dad died in an accident when I was little. And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms with each other…" She looked at Noctal "You're all alone too, right?"

Noctal himself looked more serious "I… I'm sorry to hear that. And that… is something I'd much rather not talk of."

"To be honest, I already know that part about your past..."

Noctal interrupted her "W-Wait… Exactly how much do you know?"

"Sorry to bring it up, but I don't know much outside your parents dying. I don't even know how they died…"

"I… I see." Noctal said uneasily. "I'm terribly sorry for interrupting you."

"It's alright… But me knowing about that didn't seem fair, so I wanted to tell you about some of my past." She continued "It was back in '99, there was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly my dad died in the blast, but nobody knows what actually happened… He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough I'll find out something about what happened. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan high, and why I was there when this happened to you." Yukari shifter her gaze away for a bit "…Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help… It was my first time fighting them too."

She smiled "And here I am telling you all this right when you wake up. While I was waiting I kept thinking to myself 'I've been hiding so many things from him… When he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth.' " She breathed a sigh of relief "So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with somebody for a long time."

"That's… That's quite the tale, Ms. Takeba. I'm glad that you're honest like this."

"Oh please, no need to be so formal."

For a while, the two continued chatting with each other and soon Yukari left the hospital. Noctal had to stay there for a day longer, and then he could be discharged.

_The next day, outside the school gates…_

A soothing, bright sunny day with students walking about around the school grounds. As Noctal walked in, he heard somebody greet him "Yo, Noct! Long time no see!" It was Junpei. "Man, saying your name feels weird. Anyway, what happened? Got sick?"

"Erm… Yes, in a way."

Junpei was brimming with energy "Hey, I got something special to tell ya…" He paused "…Oh wait, I'm not supposed to say anything about it… Ehh… Forget I said anything, alright?"

Yukari noticed the two talking and entered "Yeesh, somebody sure is energetic today… I could hear you from all the way over there."

"Huh? You both came to school separately even though you're in the same dorm?"

"You're still going on about that?" Yukari said with a sigh. She then faced Noctal "I'm sorry to hit you with this right in the morning, but the chairman wants to talk to you later on. He'll be at the 4th floor of the dorm after school."

Noctal nodded "Alrighty then."

"Oh and one more thing… You were acting kinda strange yesterday in the hospital… Everything all right?"

"Hm? Oh yes, now I am perfectly fine. I-it might've just been from waking up after such a long while."

"…Alright, if you say so…"

The school day went on normally.

_Afterschool, at the dorm…_

Noctal walked in, seeing nobody around on the ground floor lounge. _"Huh… They must all be at the 4__th__ floor then…" _The lack of life was a bit off-putting to the foreigner.

He went up the stairs and to the upper floors. On the 4th floor, he saw single room to enter and went in.

After opening the door, he saw Yukari, Mitsuru, Ikutsuki and somebody unfamiliar to Noctal all in the middle of the room, sitting on the sofa and chairs. "Ah, there you are." Ikutsuki said after noticing the foreign student. "I'm glad that you're okay. I asked you here because I wanted to talk to you."

"Answers, I presume?" Noctal said coldly as he walked towards the group. "I would very well like to know if I'm going mad or not, after the event last week." He also took notice of the case on the table, but ignored it.

"Well, you're certainly direct." Ikutsuki said with a chuckle. "Please, have a seat." He motioned to a chair across him. Noctal accordingly sat down. "Oh and I forgot to introduce you…" He moved his hands over to the white haired man "This is Akihiko."

"How ya doin'?" Said the red vested student casually.

"Pleasure to meet you." Noctal replied.

Ikutsuki spoke "With that out of the way, let me start off by asking you this…" He pushed up his glasses "Would you believe me, if I were to say that there were more than 24 hours in a day?"

Noctal sat puzzled for a short few seconds, pondering over what he just heard "…I'm sorry, what?"

Mitsuru chuckled "I'm not surprised by your reaction. But I'm sure you experienced this first hand. Do you remember the night you first came here? You had to have noticed the signs. The streetlights went out… Nothing was working… There were coffins everywhere… Didn't it feel like you were in a different time?"

Noctal thought about what Mitsuru said "So that was…"

"The Dark Hour, a time period hidden between one day and the next."

Noctal merely sat still, clearly baffled. Ikutsuki chuckled "I know how you feel. It's hard to believe such a story, isn't it? But the Dark Hour occurs every night, right at midnight. It'll happen tonight, and every other night to come."

Akihiko spoke "Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping in their coffins. But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. You saw it yourself."

"…Those creatures?"

"We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour and they attack anyone not in their coffin. And it's our job to defeat them." Akihiko smirked "Sounds exciting, doesn't it?"

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!" Mitsuru burst out.

Ikutsuki interrupted "Now now, he does do his work well."

Noctal laughed "I'm in agreement with him actually… But a question. How was I alive the night I arrived then? I did not encounter any of those at the time, or when I was sleeping the next few nights. Until, of course, that one event."

Ikutsuki spoke "You had the 'potential', as we call it. Your ability to use Persona."

Noctal was still confused "… But then why did the multi-armed 'Shadow' attack?"

Mitsuru spoke "That one is still an odd case, even we don't know anything about it."

Ikutsuki, "So long story short… We're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. SEES for short. On paper we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows." He continued "Mitsuru is the leader and I'm the club advisor."

Mitsuru, "A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

Noctal stroked his chin "Well then… I expect the police to be of little use considering how supernatural this is, but how exactly do you handle this?"

"Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour." Said Ikutsuki "Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That power is, as I mentioned before, Persona. It's what you used that night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."

Noctal again thought over what Ikutsuki said "I see… This is certainly interesting, to say the least."

"I'm glad you're quick to understand."

Mitsuru opened the case that was on the table…. Revealing an oddly gleaming silver gun. "What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

Noctal went still for a bit, obviously thinking over the situation. He eventually came to a conclusion "Well… I've already got myself caught up in this mess, so I might as well should take part."

Yukari, who was quite until now, sighed "I was afraid you'd say no… Welcome aboard!"

Ikutsuki responded in a similar manner "Thank you so much, I'm really glad that you're joining us." He realized something "Oh I almost forgot… About your room assignment… Why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but it worked out in the end."

"Hold up? But wasn't that…" Yukari cut herself off "Oh, never mind."

"_SEES, Shadows, hidden hours_…. _Exciting indeed, exciting indeed…." _Noctal thought with a smirk.

The group chatted with each other for a good while, but eventually Noctal headed off to sleep before everybody else.

_At the Dark Hour, Noctal's Room…_

Noctal woke up from his slumber as he thought somebody was in the room with him. He turned to see a familiar young boy "Hi. How are you?" It was the boy who gave Noctal the contract. He was sitting on Noctal's bed, beside his feet.

The foreigner spoke while rubbing his eyes "How… did you get inside here?"

The boy smiled "Oh that? I'm always with you, no matter where you go, or what you do…" He chuckled "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

Noctal couldn't help but be confused "… The end?"

"The end of everything… But to be honest, I don't really know what it is." The boy's face lit up "Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power… And an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none… It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up."

Noctal raised an eyebrow "So making my personality go feral will save my life? Well, it already happened once…"

"Do you remember when we first met? I expect you to honor the commitment you made. I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me… Okay then, see you later." And with that, the boy once again melted into the darkness… Disappearing from sight.

"… An odd one, that. He's always with me? So is HE also a part of my 'Persona'?... Bah, sleep time now." And with that, Noctal went back to bed.

_The next day at school…_

Noctal strolled into the school and was greeted by Yukari "Mornin'. Um… Thanks about yesterday."

"Hmm? What for?"

"For joining us. Akihiko-senpai's injured and I was really uneasy about working alone with Mitsuru-senpai…"

"He's wounded?" Noctal asked.

"Yeah, he was attacked by a Shadow the day that you collapsed too. He said that he injured his ribs a little."

Noctal stroked his chin "So he lured it over to the dorm? Huh…"

The two kept on talking as they went back to class.

_Evening, at the dorm…_

The foreign student burst through the entryway holding several expensive-looking bags of food in both hands. "Welcome ba-… What are you doing?" A puzzled Mitsuru asked.

After closing the door with some struggle Noctal replied "Hm? Oh, I thought I'd bring some food over." He walked over to the lounge table "No worries, it's no cheap fast food…" Dropping the food down on the table he looked around the room "…Is nobody else here?"

"… The chairman's not here for the time being, Yukari's in her room and Akihiko went out." Mitsuru closed her book with a still surprised expression "How… much food did you buy? And how much did this cost you?"

Noctal laughed "Oh no need to worry for how much it cost, believe me, I have more than enough to buy much more than tenfold of this amount. I didn't come here as if I were a beggar, after all."

"Fine but… why?"

"Why not?"

Mitsuru went silent, then let out a sigh "Alright for this instance I'll allow it, but the next time you do something like this I'd like it if you let us know ahead of time."

Noctal began setting the food on the table "Ah yes, I forgot to do so. For that I apologize, it was sloppy of me."

Yukari came downstairs at that moment and noticed the food. "What's going on? Something special happen?"

"Oh you're both here now, what I wanted to tell you is-" Mitsuru was interrupted when someone came through the doorway.

It was Akihiko… with a large bag slung over his shoulder "How much stuff did you bring!?"

"Stuff that's essential to a man, of course!" A familiar voice said. Somebody else entered while lugging a large suitcase around… It was Junpei. "You coulda' slowed down a bit y'know?"

"J-Junpei!? Why is HE staying here!?" Said an irritated Yukari "Wait… Don't tell me…"

Noctal spoke "It is as it appears, it seems… Oh dear how many times did I say 'it' there?"

The cap wearing student let go of the suitcase and smiled as he looked at the other students "So wazzap?"

Mitsuru continued from where she left off "What I wanted to say is this. Junpei Iori from Class 2-F will be joining us as of today."

Yukari was still irritated "He's staying HERE!? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I bumped into him the other night. He has the Potential, but he just recently awakened to it. I told him about us, so he agreed to help." Akihiko said.

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a buncha' coffins. I don't remember much… but man that sounds embarrassing! He said that's like… completely normal in the beginning. Bein' confused, not remembering anything and all that. "

Noctal, "I… Can't say the same happened to me."

Junpei scoffed "Big deal. It happens to everyone else… But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys, I had no idea. I'm glad I'm not the only one, it got kinda lonely ya know." Junpei smiled "I bet you're stoked too, right!? Havin' me a part of the team…"

Noctal nervously laughed "Err… Well… The more the merrier, I suppose…?"

"Huh?" Yukari wasn't paying much attention "Uh, y-yeah…"

"Well, enough with the introductions." Akihiko smirked "I think we're about ready… With this amount of people, we can start exploring the tower."

"Ooh we're gonna do something!? Sweetness!" Junpei's enthusiasm shot through the roof after hearing Akihiko.

Yukari spoke uneasily "You mean… Tartarus…?"

"Tartarus…? What's that, some kinda toothpaste?"

"We believe we can find the truth behind the Dark Hour there." Said Akihiko.

"I hope so…" Yukari said, looking a bit worried.

Akihiko caught wind of something "Wait, what's that smell?"

Junpei looked over at the table "Whoo sweet! You guys prepared food for welcoming me in? D'awww…"

"Geez, somebody's full of themselves…" Said Yukari quietly.

"Oh dear the food's going cold!" Said a Noctal that was both worried and excited.

And so they all ate the fancy food Noctal bought, and the day came to a close.

_The next day, April 20__th__, afterschool…_

Noctal let out a long yawn as he stretched his arms after the dull class. Yukari got off her seat "Yeesh, I thought I was gonna fall asleep there…"

"Err… I actually did." Noctal said as he finished stretching.

Mitsuru entered the class and talked to the two. "Can I have a minute? Come to the command room when you get back home. I'll save the details for later."

"Very well then." Noctal said, but Mitsuru already began leaving the class "…Take care? Well, she was certainly direct."

Yukari shrugged "She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us."

"Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense hostility?" Junpei, from out of nowhere. Apparently he was listening as well.

"Well, it's not that I don't like her, She's just… y'know."

The trio headed back home shortly after.

_Evening, at the dorm, in the Command Room…_

All the members of SEES were present in the room as Ikutsuki asked for them to be. The chairman was about to speak "Now then, I'd like your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But now the number has jumped from two to five… Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"I'm sorry, I asked this yesterday but what's this Tartarus thing again?" Junpei asked.

"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Said Yukari.

Ikutsuki spoke "It's no surprise since it only appears in the Dark Hour…"

Akihiko chuckled "Just like the Shadows… interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. Think of it as a Shadow nest."

Junpei was a bit startled by the answer "Woah… A nest huh?"

"But senpai… What about your injury?" Yukari said, showing concern for her fellow teammate.

"Since he's still injured, Akihiko will only go as far as the entrance." Mitsuru explained.

"Well, I'm sure he won't complain as long as you don't go too far in." Ikutsuki pushed up his glasses "Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid.

"Relax, I've got your backs." Junpei said smugly.

"… I'm not too sure about this now." Yukari was, clearly, a bit worried about that.

"Oh come now I'm sure that… that… We'll scrape by." Noctal said while scratching the back of his neck.

Ikutsuki chuckled "Well I'll be staying here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona." He got off his seat "Alright, why don't we get ready to see Tartarus then?" After everybody got up they all left the dorm, except for the chairman.

_At the school…._

The SEES members were all standing in front of the closed school gates under the pitch black night. "This is it? THIS is where Tartarus is?" Junpei asked showing surprise. "Why HERE!?"

Akihiko, "Just wait a few minutes, it's almost midnight…"

The Dark Hour struck, the atmosphere shifted into an eerie hunting ground once more, coffins could be seen in the distance and red fluid was scattered about the streets but something else also underwent a change… The school.

The very ground of the school shook and shattered, spires upon spires upon towers jutted out from the ground and shifted up the school, distorting and shaping the education center. The décor, the entrance, the appearance, the size… everything had been completely changed about the school.

Now the students weren't standing in front of the school gates, they were standing in front of a large, decorated entryway with a clock above it. "This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour." Mitsuru explained.

"Labyrinth…?" Junpei was, expectedly, confused like his fellow rookie Noctal. "What are oyu talking about !? What happened to our school!?"

"Calm down, Iori." Mitsuru asserted "Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."

Noctal, who stood in awe of the new structure, spoke "So… is this the 'nest' you were speaking of earlier? Quite the design, if I say so myself."

"Evidently, yes it is."

"But why? …Why'd our school turn into a giant tower!?"

Mitsuru went silent, not giving an answer.

"… You don't know as well, do you?" Noctal asked.

"… No."

Yukari entered the conversation "I'm sure it's complicated. Who cares, anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting Shadows. "

"No. No it would not. But it helps to have an idea of where we're fighting." Noctal said.

"Well, maybe now we'll find out. After all, Mitsuru and I only went in to take a peek… this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some clue about the Dark Hour inside…"

"Exciting indeed… Very exciting…" Said a grinning Noctal.

"I respect the both of your enthusiasm. But Akihiko, you won't be joining them in their search,"

"I know, you don't need to remind me…"

Following that, the team stepped into the labyrinth. Inside, Junpei was taken aback by the surroundings "Whoa… It looks even cooler inside." He said, as the inside was filled with stylish, nigh otherworldly décor with a grand light shining down from the ceiling and stairs leading up to a large golden clock with a door in the middle of it.

"But it sure is creepy…" Yukari added.

Mitsuru, "This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for the place. Why don't you have a look around?" Akihiko explained.

"What, by ourselves!?" Yukari exclaimed.

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be giving you whatever intel I can from here." Mitsuru said calmly.

"So I take it that you both didn't plan on joining us in the first place?" Noctal said facing the two seniors.

"That's right." Akihiko answered. "We're also going to be appointing a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real? ...One of us?" Junpei's face lit up "Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!" Yukari groaned after hearing Junpei, maybe it was for the thought of him being the leader, or him yelling right beside her ears.

Akihiko looked at three students silently, but chose who'd be the leader. "You." He said, looking at Noctal.

"Me?" Noctal was a bit surprised.

"HIM!? W-wait! Why him!? He doesn't look like a leader!" Junpei clearly did not approve.

Yukari chimed in "But he HAS fought Shadows before. A tough one at that, and he was pretty good too."

"That's true, but there's another reason…" Akihiko looked at both Yukari and Junpei "Can you two summon your Personas without a problem, like he can?"

"Y-yeah, of course I can!"

"I think so…"

Akihiko looked stern "These are Shadows we're talking about here, monsters that'll kill you at any moment if you give them the chance. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

"I'm aware of that." Yukari said, not losing her composure.

"Alright, go on inside. Are you ready, Noctal? …Your name's weird to say you know?"

"Well, I'm a foreigner after all…. But yes, I am ready."

Akihiko laughed "Haha, that's the spirit."

Noctal was about to go up the grand stairs, but something caught his eye. He noticed a strange door with a blue glow in the corner of the lobby. He approached it…. Though his fellow students were thinking his behavior was odd.

As Noctal stood in front of the blue door, the velvet key from before appeared in his hands. The foreigner unconsciously inserted the key into the door and unlocked it.

After walking inside, Noctal found himself back in the Velvet Room. Again he was sitting in front of Igor, with Elizabeth standing beside the long-nosed old man. "I've been waiting for you." Igor said as Noctal appeared before him. "The time has come for you to wield the power you hold. The labyrinthine tower you're about to venture into… how did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions."

He continued "But with your power, you will grasp the answers. You, my boy, are able to possess multiple Personas, and summon them as needed, but for now you must only use one. Forge your bonds to perfection, and your power will grow accordingly… Make sure to keep that in mind. My spare time will soon be scarce, but we will meet again in the near future. Until then… Farewell."

And with that, Noctal was once again sent out of the Velvet Room, this time not even saying a word. Now back in Tartarus, he found himself standing, Yukari was shaking his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Hmhuhwha?"

Junpei was right beside her. "Yeah what's up? You look like a zombie, man."

"I… I'm fine. No need to worry." Noctal said, his friends were apparently unaware of the blue door and the Velvet Room.

"Sheesh, we haven't even started and you already pass out… Helluva leader we got…"

"Hey, don't be so hard on him. If everything's alright, let's get going."

Noctal cleared his throat "Yes, let's begin." And so the trio headed up the stairs and proceeded to explore Tartarus…

But before they entered, Mitsuru interrupted Noctal. "Hold on, do you have a weapon?"

Junpei, "I got a big katana I can use."

And Yukari, "I can use my bow and arrows."

Noctal awkwardly stopped and checked his pockets "Err… I recall having a knife a week ago, but I apparently lost it."

"Very well then, I had something prepared in case of this. I hope it's suitable for you." Mitsuru brought out a single-edged sword in a black scabbard with a black colored grip. She handed the blade to Noctal, who took it in his hands without hesitation.

The foreign student unsheathed the sword, the sheen from the blade blinding him for a second. After it was fully out, he swung it around a few times to test it. "… 'Tis quite the fine blade, impeccably made with a sharp edge, a good grip, a sleek design and very light to boot!"

Mitsuru chuckled "I'm glad you like it. But do you have any form of weapon training, let alone with a sword?"

Noctal smirked "Yes, I am quite capable with a sword, and am equally capable when unarmed."

Akihiko couldn't help but take notice "Oh you can fight without a weapon too? Wonder how good you are… It'd be nice to have somebody to spar with when I recover."

"Then I'll gladly take you up on that offer, Sanada-senpai." Noctal said enthusiastically. He then put the sword back in its sheathe and held it in his left arm.

"One more thing…" Mitsuru pulled out three ear-pieces and handed them to the trio. "You'll need these to communicate with each other, and so that I can reach the three of you."

"Alright then." the exploration team put the ear=pieces on. Noctal faced the door up the stairs once again "Now then, shall we?" He said to both Yukari and Junpei.

The three then went through the doorway, off to explore the mysterious depths of the unnatural Tartarus.

_Tartarus 1__st__ block, Thebel…_

Upon going through the golden clock door, the three found themselves in a corridor with a black and white tiled floor lined with green on the sides, green windows that had no view and the same red splotches of liquid from outside splattered on parts of the floor. "So here we are, the oh so mysterious Tartarus… Looks more composed than I expected, really."

"This is it, huh…"

"I hope I don't get lost…" Both Junpei and Yukari spoke their thoughts.

A static-y voice then popped up from out of nowhere. "Can you all hear me?" It was Mitsuru.

"Whoa! Is that you senpai?" Junpei, startled.

"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."

"Wait, ya mean you can see us inside here?"

"It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you but the structure of Tartarus never stays the same, each time you enter or leave it will change, which is why outside support is imperative."

Yukari groaned "Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better…"

Mitsuru continued "Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too difficult, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect, after all."

Junpei, "Right!"

Noctal, "Understood."

Yukari, "Got it… Why is she always like that?"

"Let's begin then." Mitsuru then cut off contact for the moment. The trio proceeded into the darkness, wary of the dangers they face…

On the way, Noctal decided to strike up a conversation "Sooo…. What are the both of your thoughts on this place? It looks finer than I expected, it doesn't even have so much as a ste-!" He was interrupted as a flying, bird like object swooshed over his head "… Well that was just rude."

In front of him was a black flying bird-like entity carrying a lantern. The three immediately knew it was a Shadow and readied themselves for combat. The bird-like foe was accompanied by more if its kind, and a few others on the ground. "It's got company!" Yukari said, signaling the other two of the increased numbers.

Noctal fired out orders "Junpei, you take the ones on the left, I'll take the right. Yukari, watch out for reinforcements and try to provide supporting fire."

"Roger!" Junpei responded with fierce determination

"Got it!" Yukari, the same.

Noctal grinned "Alrighty then… Wipe them All Out with Mass Destruction!"

Noctal unsheathed his sword and rushed forward to tackle his share of enemies. One of the flying Shadows charged down at him, but the foreign student instead leaped, stabbed it from above and used it as a foothold by kickjumping off of it to reach the other flying Shadows. In midair, he sliced one bird in half and took hold of the other, slamming it into the ground as he fell. He then kicked the bird he brought down, sending it flying into one of its sludge-like friends and rendering them unable to move. An arrow flew just past Noctal's head, landing the finishing strike on the two. Noctal looked back to see it was, as expected, Yukari who fired it.

Taking place at the same time on Junpei's side; he dashed ahead to take care of his side of Shadows, splitting two of the Ravens in half as they swooped down on him with a single swipe of his large katana. There was still one more bird left, but it was just out of reach, and two crawling Shadows were approaching Junpei. Seeing nothing more to do, Junpei cleaved one of the crawling slimes by dropping his sword on it. He followed up by swinging the blade around, with the sludge Shadow still attached, and hit the other sludge with it, now with two Shadows stuck to his blade. Then an arrow flew above his head and hit the black bird. Instinctively, Junpei drove his foot into the ground while stepping forward, reared his shadow-bearing katana back, "HOOOOOMERUN!" He yelled as he fiercely swung his sword in a horizontal slice, hitting the falling raven with the two shadows on his blade and obliterating the lot of them.

Junpei thrust his fist straight into the air and struck a pose "Whoo yeah! Take that ya mangy pricks!"

Mitsuru spoke to Noctal, "I'm impressed, you were ambushed and managed to stay completely calm while giving out smart orders to dispatch the enemies efficiently, and without suffering any damage… Looks like it was a good choice to make you the leader."

Noctal laughed "Hah, you make me blush like a giddy love struck little girl."

"Alright, now that you've had a taste of what it's like to fight in Tartarus, explore the rest of the floor then return back to the entrance. We can resume tomorrow."

"Very well then, madam." Noctal said nonchalantly. He then turned to his fellow classmates "Let's continue on, then." The two nodded in response. And so they marched through the eerie hallways of the mysterious tower…

After some time, the team came upon a three-way split in the path. "Hmmm… It would take a while to explore the paths as a group…" Noctal spoke into his ear-piece "What do you think madam, should we separate or stay as we are?"

Mitsuru responded "Yes, you should split up to cover the floor faster."

"Understood. Yukari, Junpei, explore the other two paths separately. I'll take the middle. When done looking about, return here."

"Gotcha." Junpei said with a smirk.

"… I think it's kinda dangerous to do this, but alright." Yukari expressed her worry.

"Not a worry, if either of you see that you can't handle a group of Shadows and cannot get past or become injured, then return here immediately. This goes without saying, but if a Shadow does seem dead set on chasing you then immediately request backup." Without leaving any room for an argument, Noctal went his way into the middle path, Yukari sighed as she went her way while Junpei shrugged and did the same.

On Noctal's path, the foreigner cautiously walked through the unnerving corridor, sword ready in hand and eyes focused on his surroundings. It was akin to a child navigating a mansion filled with hiding pedophiliac murderers, though in this case a child who was capable of defending himself against said murderers.

The eerie silence made Noctal all the more aware of the dangers around him. _"Alright then, I'm alone and wandering a passage where monstrosities may likely murder me if I'm not careful…" _The foreigner strolled through and through the hallway, only seeing the same repetitive environment over and over. But, after a good enough while, he came to a dead end. "…Oh bloody fu-"

At that moment an explosion was heard "What in the…?" Noctal hastily went back through the hallway. The explosion was far too worrisome to ignore.

Back to where the road diverged, Yukari was waiting while holding her right arm, seemingly in pain "Where's Junpei?" The foreigner asked.

Yukari shrugged "I dunno…"

"Dammit… You're injured aren't you? Stay here and wait for the both of us." After that, Noctal took the road Junpei went.

Deeper in, the foreigner came upon marks on the walls; there was a fire, or explosion of some sort around there. Noctal couldn't help but fear for what might've happened.

Even farther in, Noctal noticed a dull silver shine just up ahead. Marching on, he saw the cap wearing student hunched over and aiming the Evoker at the side of his head. "Kick some ass…" Junpei pulled the trigger, destroying the limits of his mind. "HERMES!" Junpei's Persona formed itself above his head.

It was humanoid in shape and black and gold in color with multiple golden rods floating beside its legs, almost as if they were wings. Noctal thought it best to stand back and see how the scene would play out.

In front of Junpei was a group of five Shadows, some were grounded and others were floating book-like foes. Hermes slid through the air, cutting a path through the group. It quickly turned back and with a swiping motion of its arm, a swathe of fire engulfed every Shadow in the vicinity, effectively burning them dead. The Persona faded away right after and Junpei was overcome with excitement "Hahaha WOO YEAH BABY! That was so cool! I'm like an awesome superhero!"

"Junpei Iori, normal student by day and slayer of evil by night, protecting the people from horrors they shan't see?" Noctal said jokingly as he approached.

"Hell yeah! …Wait, who's there?!" Junpei turned around after his hype moment passed to see the four-eyed foreigner "Oh hey… You uhh… You saw all that?"

"Indeed I did, Mr. Hero." Noctal chuckled "So, you seemed to be doing well there."

Junpei shrugged "Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle, just a buncha mooks tryna' gang up on me. One almost caught me in an explosion a couple minutes ago but, being Junpei Iori, I breezed through that. By the way, I got the place covered. All I found was some stairs going up."

"I see… Then we might as well head back, wouldn't want to keep Yukari waiting any longer." The two thusly headed back to where the path split.

…

Back at where the road split, Noctal and Junpei saw Yukari holding her Evoker. The cap wearing student was about to call out to her but Noctal prevented him from doing so, likely to see what she's trying to do.

She aimed the silver gun straight at her forehead, holding it with both hands… "Come on out…" Yukari pulled the trigger, shooting through the limits of her mind "Io!" A girl sitting on, or chained to, a large cow skull formed itself above Yukari's head and a bright green glow engulfed the cheery student for a short few seconds. After that, the Persona vanished and Yukari just noticed her teammates looking at her. "W-what?"

"Oh nothing, we just came back from exploring that end of the hallway an-"

"Whoa Yuka-tan, was that your Persona just now!?" Junpei interrupted.

Yukari groaned "Yeah…"

"So, what were you trying out just now?" Noctal inquired.

Yukari moved her right arm about "I was trying to see what my Persona could do and apparently, I can fix up an injury."

Noctal stroked his chin "Hmm… Healing, eh? That, I believe, will be incredibly helpful."

"H-hey, don't rely on it too much. Remember, I'm not sure how good I can treat injuries… So you should still be careful." Yukari said, a hint of nervousness could be heard in her voice.

"Ahahaha, I'm certain that it'll still be useful." The foreign student changed topics. "So… what did we find in our little adventure? I found a goddamn wall. A rare encounter, is it not?"

Yukari shrugged, "I got a dead end too."

Junpei, "I found stairs going up…. This whole trip didn't do a lot did it?"

"It's our first foray, of course it wouldn't do a lot. But, since we're done here we might as well head back for now." That, the trio did.

_Back at the ground floor of Tartarus…_

The exploration team walked down the stairs leading into the upper depths of the tower, and Mitsuru greeted them. "Welcome back. So how do you feel after spending some time exploring Tartarus?"

Yukari, "I'm exhausted…"

Junpei, "Same…"

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour. You get fatigued much more easily, but eventually you will get used to it." Mitsuru looked at Noctal "And how was your experience in there?"

"It was… interesting. I can't say I wasn't afraid, but I can't say I'm against this. So… I suppose I've no issue. And it's decent exercise as well, helps to keep in shape and stay sharp." Noctal answered.

"Well, that's good to hear. If you gained a bit of confidence in fighting Shadows, then that's the best thing that could've happened. But there is one thing bothering me…" She paused for a bit "…Actually, never mind. Looking at everybody's condition, now's not the best time. We should all head back to the dorm."

And the entire team did just that. Now with supernatural beings to contend with… how Noctal was going to live had changed completely.


End file.
